Closures for front openings in footwear



Oct. 23, 1962 G. F. CLASON CLOSURES FOR FRONT OPENINGS IN FOOTWEAR Filed May 2. 1960 la Z INVENTOR George P. Cluson TORNEY United States Patent 7 3,059,352 CLOSURES FOR FRONT OPENINGS IN FOOTWEAR George F. Clason, Pawtucket, R.I., assign'or to Scovill Manufacturing Company, Waterbury, Conn, 21 corporation of Connecticut Filed May 2, 1960, Ser. No. 26,244- 4 Qlaims. (Cl. 3650) This invention relates to closures for front openings in footwear and particularly to a bellows tongue and zipper unit intended for use in plastic footwear and especially in overshoes or'boots of the so called slush molded type consisting of vinyl chloride or a plastic having similar characteristics.

Heretofore, attempts have been made to simultaneously secure a flexible gusset or a bellows tongue and the zipper as separate units to the plastic boot in a single uniting and sealing operation. When securing such a bellows tongue to the zipper tapes simultaneously with sealing the two parts to the boot itself, it was necessary to fold the material of the bellows tongue at substantially right angles adjacent the area of attachment to the zipper tape and close to the line of attached zipper fastener elements with the edges of the material projecting away from the fastener elements.

In such previous attempts to attach a bellows tongue and zipper in the above manner in slush molded overshoes with a front opening, where the zipper must assume a curve over the instep, it has been impossible to obtain a satisfactory job, particularly at the curved instep portion of the boot. This was due to the fact that where the gusset or bellows tongue material had to be bent at right angles in a jig fixture during the sealing Operation, the gusset material would tend to assume a tube-like shape which would cause buckling and wrinkling in the area of the curved instep portion of the tube, thus producing a very unsightly appearance.

The particular object of my invention is to provide a pre-assembled unit where the bellows tongue is so formed and attached to the zipper tapes in such a manner that the combined tongue and zipper can be attached to a boot without wrinkling or buckling. This is preferably accomplished by cutting a single piece of flexible material to the proper pattern, pre-creasing it so that it will assume folds to permit the front sections of the tongue to lie naturally flat against the back section and generally in the same plane as the zipper tapes; and attaching the tapes to the adjacent lapping edges of the folded tongue with such edges directed toward the zipper elements. In this manner, the tongue material is not forced to take a reverse bend in the region of the zipper tapes but rather the assembly is like a flat tapered envelope which readily assumes the curve over the instep without wrinkling or buckling.

Means may be employed for joining the front sections of the tongue along the outer edges of the triangularly shaped back section other than the pre-creasing of a single piece of material. For example, when the material is thermoplastic in whole or in part, as is preferable in any case, it may be folded and heat and pressure applied to the fold; or the front sections may be separate pieces sealed by heat or other means along the edges of the back section. The important thing about the joints between the front and back sections is that they be such as will allow the front sections of the tongue to lie flat against the back section in their natural condition, that is, when no outside pressure is being applied.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will hereinafter more fully appear.

In the accompanying drawing, I have shown for pur- I Patented Oct; 23, 1962 ice pose of illustration one embodiment which my invention may assume in practice. In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a plan view of the blank that is used to make the bellows tongue;

FIG. 2 is a plan view of the bellows tongue and zipper assembled as a unit ready for attachment to a boot; 4

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a molded boot incorporating my bellows tongue and zipper unit with portions of the boot material broken away to show better the construction;

FIG; 4 is a plan View on a large scale of the back side of the front wing portions of the bellows tongue and zipper unit adjacent the upper end of the zipper;

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of the bellows tongue and zipper unit and one flap of the boot taken along the line 55 of FIG. 3; and,

FIG. 6 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of a fragmentary portion of the blank transversely of a fold line such as taken along the line 66 of FIG. 1.

Referring now to the drawing, the numeral 10 designates a blank generally of triangular shape and consisting of a back section 11 and right and left wing sections 12 and 13 respectively. The edges of the blank 10 are straight lines 14 and 15 converging toward the bottom of the blank, and the wing sections 12 and 13 adjacent their upper ends have extension tabs 16 and 17 that extend beyond their respective straight edges 14 and '15. Similar extension tabs 18 and 19 are likewise provided at the lower ends of the wing section.

The material from which the blank 10 is cut may be a cloth material impregnated and coated with a suitable thermoplastic material such as one of the vinyl resins, or it may be cut from a sheet of thermoplastic material only. In either case, the upper surface of the blank may be given a stipple or line rubbly surface to improve its appearance. In the drawing, I have shown the blank as made from cloth material 20 and impregnated and coated with thermoplastic material 21 with a thicker portion of the plastic material appearing on the top surface of the blank.

In order to provide a natural fold line between the back section 11 and the right and left wing sections 12' and 13, diverging creases or fold lines 22 and 23 of substantial width are formed into the surface of the vinyl coated material by a heat pressing operation, which creases converge toward the bottom at an angle less than the angled blank edges 14 and '15. The creases 22 and 23 permit the wing portions 12 and-13 to be folded to provide the front sections of the bellows tongue overlying the back section 11 so that the tongue naturally assumes a flat condition as shown in FIGS. 2 and 5. Also, at the same time that the creases or fold lines 22 and 23 are formed in the blank 10, a finishing strip 24- of narrow plastic material may be heat sealed to said blank along its top edge to give it a better finished appearance as shown in FIG. 1.

When the blank 10 is pre-creased as described above, it will be a very simple matter to fold the wing sections 12 and 13 upon the back section 11 to the position as shown in FIG. 2. The relative angular relationship of the crease or fold lines 22 and 23 to the blank edges 14 and 15 are such that when the wing sections 12 and 13 are folded, said edges 14 and 15 will lie in parallel relationship as shown by dotted outline in FIG. 1 and spaced apart the proper distance to accommodate the zipper. Also, the length of the lower tabs 18 and 19 are such that they will overlap each other while the length of the upper tabs 16 and 17 will have their terminal edges in close proximity or abutting engagement.

The zipper is of the conventional construction consisting of parallel beaded textile fabric tapes 25 with the usual interlocking fastener elements 26 and a slider 27.

However, before the tapes 25 are secured to the bellows tongue, they will preferably have a coating of a suitable thermoplastic material applied to both tapes and on both sides of each tape. One of the coatings is indicated at 28 in 'FIG.' 5.

When the wings '12 and 13 are folded as shown in FIG. 2, the zipper, while closed, will be laid upon the wing portions '12 and 13 with the major portion of the tapes 25 overlapping a portion of the wings adjacent the edges 14 and "15 and there held in place while heat and pressure are applied to the overlapped areas of the zipper tapes and wing sections, thus permanently sealing the parts together. These sealed areas are best indicated in FIG. 4 by more or less planished surfaces 29 and 30 on opposite sides of the zipper elements. Preferably, these sealed areas cover the outer edge of the zipper tapes and extend over a substantial portion of the width of the tapes; also, at the upper part of the bellows tongue, the sealed area-s extend inwardly over the zipper fastener elements as indicated at 29a and 30a. It is to be observed that between the adjacent edges of the sealed areas 29 and 30 and rows of interlocking elements 26, there is a sufiicient amount of exposed zipper tapes not aifected by the sealed areas. This is to allow the tapes in this exposed area to have ample flexibility so as not to interfere with or impede the operation of the slider 27.

The lower extension tabs 18 and 19 should be of sufficient length so that they overlap each other when the wing'sections 12 and 13 are folded upon the back section '11 and in this bottom area the wing sections and overlapping tabs are sealed to the back section across the entire width of the folded gusset below the ends of the zipper tapes as indicated at 32. This will produce a water-tight closure at the lower end of the triangular shaped gusset or bellows tongue,

When the bellows tongue is in the finished form as shown in FIG. 2, it may then be applied to a boot 31 such as shown in FIG. 3. In making the final assembly to the boot,-a suitable supporting tool or jig fixture will be inserted within the hollow of the bellows tongue and hold that portion of the zipper tapes coated with a thermoplastic material 28 in continuous contact with the inner surf-ace of the boot along the front opening, in which position the front 'wing sections of the bellows tongue may be sealed to the boot by the application of heat and pressure throughout the planished areas 29 and 30;

It is to be further observed that when the bellows tongue made as described above, where the wing sections are secured to the zipper tapes with their edges directed toward the fastener elements as shown in FIG. 5, the folded portions of the bellows tongue can be curved in a longitudinal plane so as to readily conform to the 4 curved instep area of the boot without danger of buckling or wrinkling.

What I claim is:

1. A closure for a front opening in an overshoe comprising a zipper and bellows tongue assembly adapted to be secured as a unit to the inner face of the overshoe along the edges of the front opening, the zipper having a pair of tapes and fastener elements attached thereto, the bellows tongue portion of said assembly consisting of a back section triangular in shape and two front sections permanently joined each to one of the longer edges of said back section, said joining means being of such nature that it will urge said front sections to lie flat against the back section without outside pressure, the inner edges of said front sections being spaced apart sufliciently to accommodate the zipper fastener elements while extending over a substantial portion of the zipper tapes, and means for securing the zipper tapes permanently to said inner edges while in lapping relation thereto whereby the assembly assumes a flat condition in its natural unstressed state so that when attached to the overshoe in the manner described, the assembly Will assume a curve over the instep without buckling or wrinkling.

2. A closure for the front opening of a boot as defined in claim 1 wherein the bellows tongue is made from a thermoplastic material and pre-creased along the lines where the front sections join the back section so that when the front sections are folded over the back section, the bellows tongue naturally assumes a substan tially flat condition.

3. A closure for a front opening of a boot as defined in claim 1 wherein the bellows tongue is made from a thermoplastic material and pre-creased to define natural fold lines between the back section and front sections and wherein the pre-crease'd fold lines and edges of the front sections are arranged on angles such that when the front sections are folded upon the back section, the edges of the front sections will be disposed in parallel and spaced relationship to each other.

4. A closure for a front opening in an overshoe as defined in claim 3 wherein extension tabs are provided on the upper and lower ends of the front sections with said tabs extending beyond the edges of said front sections and wherein the length of the lower extension tabs is such as to overlie each other when the front sections are folded upon the back section.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 884, 471 Crawford Apr. 14, 1908 1,837,518 Blair Dec. 22, 1931 2,455,801 Olson Dec. '7, 1948 2,658,551 Bender Nov. 10, 1953 2,674,559 Zobel Apr. 6, 1954 

